There are a lot of ways for getting files (music, video, software) from the Internet. Some of you might use a peer-to-peer network, such as BitTorrent, or a dedicated file hosting service, like RapidShare. These services are great, but Peer-to-Peer can be slow, and a dedicated file hosting service can be expensive. If you are looking for an alternative, with lightning fast download speed, secure connection, and cheaper pricing plans, you should perhaps try Usenet.

A Short History about Usenet

The history of Usenet dates back to the 1980s. It was originally designed as a global distributed discussion system, but its heyday as a discussion system has long ended. These days, we use mailing list, or online forums, but even these Usenet successors are beginning to feel dated. Since then, Usenet has evolved into a file sharing network.

Eventually, Usenet evolved as a media where people shared copyrighted material. People started using Usenet as a tool to share copyrighted material. RIAA filed a suit against Usenet, and they triumphed when U.S. District Judge Harold Baer of the Southern District of New York ruled in favor of RIAAA. We write this article because we feel that our readers will get some benefit from knowing how to use Usenet, and not because we support copyright infringement. There are a lot of useful, non-copyrighted material available in Usenet – such as free books, and open source software. Plus, it’s a trip though internet memory lane before web were even conceived for the most part.